Here we go, Twelve Days of Cookies to kick off the holiday season!.  From one of my favorite cookbooks this year, Kristina Cho’s Mooncakes and Milk Bread, her Grandfather’s Almond Cookies.  If you are looking for a great holiday gift, her book is amazing.  Literally, recipes of your favorite Chinese Bakery goods, Pineapple Buns, Cocktail Buns, Cha Siu Baos, Egg Tarts.  I was over the “moon” when her book came out.

Hoping for a return to a bit of normalcy (thankful for vaccines), I headed to my favorite bookstore, Omnivore Books in the City, for an in-person meet and greet with Kristina. She came with a batch of Almond Cookies to share.  My first bite, buttery, crispy edges, almond-ny, absolutely delicious, I made a mental note to put this cookie on my bucket list.

These cookies can be made entirely by hand.  Classic cream butter and sugar until smooth.  Don’t overmix.  Add egg and almond extract and then dry ingredients. Chill the dough as these cookies tend to really spread.  Paint them liberally with the egg wash.   I bake them on parchment.

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Gung Gung’s Almond Cookies

From Kristina Cho’s Mooncakes and MIlk Bread, delightful, crisp, buttery almond cookies.

Course cookies

Cuisine Asian-American

Keyword Almond Cookies, Kristina Cho

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 125 g 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 113 g 1/2 cup; 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 130 g 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 1 large egg yolk
• 15 sliced almonds
• Flaky salt for topping

Instructions

• In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
• In another bowl, combine the butter and sugar with a spatula or wooden spoon until smooth. Add the egg and almond extract and continue to mix until fully incorporated. Add the dry ingredients and mix until a thick dough is formed (it will be sticky). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill until slightly firm but scoopable, about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Using a 1 1/2-tablespoon cookie scoop, measure out 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough and place on the prepared sheet. (Or use a spoon to
• scoop and roll the dough into a smooth ball, wetting your hands if the dough is still sticky.)
• Repeat with remaining dough, spacing them 3 inches apart. Wet your fingers with water to prevent dough from sticking and gently press down on the dough balls with your fingers until they are 1/2 inch thick.
• In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk and use to lightly brush the tops of the cookies. Place an almond slice on each cookie.
• Bake until cookies are golden brown and crisp around the edges, 16 to 18 minutes. Transfer the sheets to a wire rack, sprinkle with flaky salt, and allow cookies to cool on the sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to the rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Directions to make cookies with a mixer.  The key is to not overbeat!  

As easy as these are to make by hand, some of us just love our mixers.  Combine butter and sugar in mixer bowl.  On medium speed, beat mixture until smooth and creamy.  It should not reach the light and fluffy stage! Add egg and almond extract and beat on medium until combined.  Add dry ingredients, combine on stir or lowest speed until the flour mixture is incorporated and you don’t see any dry spots.  You can always stir in the flour by hand.  

The cookies spread quite a bit so don’t crowd them on a baking sheet.  Use an ice cream scoope to portion out your dough.

 

So, let the TOC begin!